November 30, 2016—Food Security

In the spring of 2014, the Senate Liberals opened our Caucus doors to Canadians. Through our Open Caucus initiative we are learning, discussing and debating issues of national importance. This effort is hosted by the Senate Liberal Caucus but is intended to be non-partisan. All parliamentarians will be invited, as well as members of the press and the general public.

On November 30th, we invited you to join us in a discussion on the food security in Canada. About four million Canadians—including more than a million children—lack food security, defined as reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Hunger has a range of impacts from delayed mental development, decreased learning abilities, diminished work productivity, and a greater propensity towards chronic disease. Canada does not have of a national food policy or strategy which takes a comprehensive approach to addressing the interrelated issues of hunger, unsustainable food production, climate change, and unhealthy diets.

To address this important topic we invited a panel of witnesses to discuss what should be taken into account in developing a policy which makes all Canadians food secure.